Merry-go-round



Feb.`21,'1956 H. A. MORTENSON COMBINED TEETER-TOTTER AND MERRY-GO--ROUNDFiled Jan. 19, 1955 JNVENTOR. Harold A. Morenson United States Patent OCOMBINED TEETER-TOTTER AND MERRY-GO-ROUND Harold A. Mortenson, Seattle,Wash. Application January 19, 1953, Serial No. 331,930 4 Claims. (Cl.272-30) This invention relates to childrens amusement apparatus, andparticularly apparatus in the nature of a combined teeter-totter andmerry-go-round. The general object is to provide apparatus which willperform as a teeter-totter and merry-go-round, and which also providesto the imagination of a child an unusually realistic suggestion of abucking bronco.

The invention has the further object of devising a simple andinexpensive apparatus for the purpose described which is unusuallyrugged and able to withstand hard usage.

The invention further aims to provide a structure which will not presentany exposed sharp corners, edges, projections or the like liable tocause injury to children using the apparatus.

A still further object is to provide a structure which admits of beingreadily disassembled for storage purposes.

Other more particular objects and advantages will, together with theseforegoing objects, appear and be understood in the course of thefollowing description and claims, the invention consisting in the novelconstruction and in the adaptation and combination of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawing:

Figure l is a perspective View illustrating one embodiment of amusementapparatus constructed in accordance with the preferred teachings of thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical sectional view drawn to an enlargedscale on line 2*?2 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 3 is a transverse vertical sectional view employing the same scaleas Fig. 2 and drawn on line 3-3 of Fig. 1.

Referring to said drawing, the numeral 5 designates a deck flangesecured upon a solid base 6 which I have here indicated as comprising aconcrete block, the securing means comprising nuts 7 engaging bolts 8embedded in the concrete. The deck flange presents the usual threadedsocket 4, and working in the threads of this socket is a pipe 9 whichserves as the mounting standard for those parts of the invention whichare subject to movement. A lock-nut 10 is or may be used as a complementto the threaded socket of the deck ange.

There is sleeved for rotation upon the standard a thimble which I haveindicated as being fabricated from a pipe 11, with a cap-piece 12 Weldedto the upper end, and there is provided at the lower end of the pipe acircumscribing ange 13 shown as comprising a ring member also secured inposition by welding.

The board for the present invention is designated by 14 and is or may becomprised of a wood plank suitably shaped at each of the two ends toprovide a comfortable seat. To the front of these seats there arerespective sets of ropes 15 serving as hand-holds or reins for theoccupants of the seats. The ropes are inserted through holes bored inthe plank and are held secure by knotting the ropes in a manner clearlyapparent from an inspection of Fig. 3. In lieu of the simple board shownit is self- 2,735,679 Patented Feb. 21, 1956 evident that the apparatuscould be made more realistic through the instrumentality of havingsimulated horses heads surmounting the board.

At the substantial center of the board, longitudinally speaking, thereis secured to the underside of the board, as by carriage bolts 17, achannel-iron fitting 18, and welded by its head end to the underside ofthis tting is a fairly stiff coil spring 20 having an expanded lengthconsiderably greater than the length of the sleeved pipe 11. Thediameter of the spring is such as permits the spring to t quite looselyover the pipe, and the lower end of the spring bears upon the flange 13and is welded or otherwise made secure thereto. It should be understoodthat the board is held in elevated relation to the standard even whenthe spring is compressed by the combined weight of two childrenoccupying the seats.

It will be apparent that I have provided such an apparatus as willpermit both teeter-totter and merry-goround action. Moreover, both ofsuch actions are affrected quite considerably by the resilience andelasticity of the spring so that children using the apparatus can veryeasily imagine that they are riding a bucking bronco. While not shown inthe drawing the invention lends itself to use in an apparatus designedfor single occupancy, the structure employed in such case being simply ashort length of board with a single seat thereon, and desirably having asimulated horses head surmounting the board With reins attached to thehead. The seat, in this instance, is placed comparatively close to thevertical center about which the board turns.

It is thought that the invention will have been clearly understood fromthe foregoing description of my nowpreferred embodiments. Changes in thedetails of construction will largely suggest themselves and may beresorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention, and itis, consequently, my intention that no limitations be implied and thatthe hereto annexed claims be read with the broadest interpretation towhich the ernployed language fairly admits.

What l claim, is:

l. Amusement apparatus of the character indicated comprising a boardproviding a seat at each end thereof, a base presenting a mountingstandard, a thimble sleeved for rotary movement upon said mountingstandard, and a comparatively stiff coil spring secured to said thimblewith the upper end projecting thereabove and so connected with the boardintermediate the two seats as to sustain the board upon said spring.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 in which the thimble presents acircumscribing ilange at the lower end, and wherein the coil springbears upon said flange with approximately its upper one-half portionexposed above the thimble when the spring is in its normal expandedcondition.

3. The apparatus of claim l in which there is provided for each seat arespective pair of hand-holds comprising ropes anchored at one end tothe board and with the other end free.

4. The apparatus of claim l in which the connection between the springand the board is a fixed connection.

References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 185,501Connolly Dec. 19, 1876 1,270,729 Harris June 25, 1918 1,319,073 HastingsOct. 21, 1919 1,436,426 Ayle Nov. 2l, 1922 2,109,897 Braunschweig Mar.1, 1938 2,452,869 Richards Nov. 2, 1948 2,494,094 Horstmann Jan. l0,1950

